How to disable and uninstall apps in Galaxy S7 ans S7 edge?

Learn how to disable pre-installed apps and uninstall other apps in apps screen and application manager. This guide explains the difference between disable apps and uninstall apps and how to find disabled apps (and enable them).

When you get your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you can find there are some apps pre-installed (in both home screen and apps screen) before you start to install your own apps.

Like in other Android phones, the pre-installed apps in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge can be classified into 3 categories:

System essential apps. These apps usually do not have icons (or user interfaces). It is not necessary for Galaxy S7 owners to play with these apps at all.

Pre-installed apps offering basic functions. For example, phone app and messaging app let you use Galaxy S7 immediately without installing any apps. Of course, many Google apps can fall into this category.

Bloatware. These are apps that most Galaxy S7 owners hate. The app publisher paid Samsung or local distributor or your carrier to installed their crappy apps into Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The bloatware in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge is usually different in different regions (or different carrier models). For example, in most regions, a few Microsoft apps were pre-installed as bloatware. Flipboard briefing is another example of bloatware.

For any of these pre-installed apps, you cannot uninstall them without rooting Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

If you do not want to use these apps, you may disable (turn off) some of these apps if they are not essential.

it may be that different people would use different applications; but those applications not necessary for the phone to work could be listed so that people could pick and choose from among them which they want and which they don’t with out having to worry about disabling or uninstalling an application they shouldn’t have. the google play store, for example. safe to disable or not? I know you shouldn’t disable the google play services or the phone won’t work. which means it’s actually part of the phone’s operating system, and shouldn’t even be listed under “application manager” to begin with. which is why a list of all applications that can be SAFELY disabled would be useful for those with limited technical skills.

It’s actually very complicated. Google worked very hard to make Android modular so that it’s easier for Android manufacturers to update to new Android versions. Most Android manufacturers only update “flagship” phones, after several months of the release. Almost all middle range phones except Moto devices have never been updated. Cost is the main reason. It requires manpower to prepare and test the update. By packaging some features as apps, engineers can check the code faster and easier, and therefore deliver update faster.

So in Android, there are two types of apps: system apps which are essential, and user apps which are not essential.

The problem is not preloaded Google apps. They let me users to use Android quickly.

The real problem is the preloaded apps by the manufacturers and your carriers. They are paid to install some apps like Facebook, yahoo news… These apps are not essential. But you cannot uninstall them unless you root the phone. Some of these apps may have many security and privacy bugs. Some may abuse the privilege as a system app (although they are not) to waste your data. For this problem, there are no easy solutions. Most Android manufacturers are still losing money and this is one of their revenue streams.

Anyway, there are some Android manufacturers provide clean Android (close to stock Android), for example, Motorola.

If you need pure Android, you can try Pixel or pixel XL by Google. Android one is also clean and cheap. But it’s only available in limited regions.

If you don’t want to use Google services, there are some third-party ROMs, for example, CynogenMod and a few others.